Chapter 245

Chapter 245: Pleading for Mercy Song Mingjin was especially delighted at the chance to eat at a restaurant. He had a good appetite, and while enjoying the delicious food, he didn't forget his mother and sisters at home. "The crispy pork here is delicious—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. Next time, I'll bring Mother and the others here too." Cui Zeyu had long since finished eating, watching his nephew with affectionate eyes as the boy ate to his heart's content, already treating Jin-ge as if he were his own child. When Song Mingjin had nearly finished eating and was about to leave, he heard Zhao Chengxu's voice from the adjacent room. He set down his chopsticks and rushed over. Zhao Chengxu hadn't left the house for quite some time. He felt utterly humiliated, especially around his companions, terrified of being ridiculed. Only after his father and mother persuaded him did he finally go out to attend school and socialize with friends. Fortunately, his friends were tactful enough not to mention his fall into the manure pit. But after drinking two cups of fruit wine, Zhao Chengxu began to ramble. "What is that Song Mingxuan anyway? Just a bookworm—he's not even fit to carry my shoes." The others egged him on. "Indeed, Third Young Master, how noble you are. Song Mingxuan is nothing but a nobody, completely unworthy of you!" Someone else joined in the cursing. "Those Song brothers are just riding on the County Mistress's coattails, yet they don't know gratitude. Ungrateful little beasts!" ... Song Mingjin had initially wanted to kick the door open and curse at them, but upon hearing their words, he held himself back instead. He turned to look at his uncle, and a mischievous idea formed in his mind. They waited near the restaurant until Zhao Chengxu and his group boarded their carriage. Then they flicked pebbles to startle the horses. In an instant, the startled horses bolted wildly, crashing into a pillar on the street. The carriage overturned, and Zhao Chengxu let out a loud wail—his leg had been crushed. After doing the deed, Cui Zeyu quickly led Song Mingjin away, even climbing over the walls to return to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. No one knew when they had come back. It wasn't until two days later that Cui Lingrong learned of Zhao Chengxu breaking his leg after drinking, because the people from the Rong Prince Mansion were scouring all of Bianjing looking for the culprit. But they couldn't find anyone. After several days passed, the matter was quietly dropped. Madam Qian and her husband were nearly furious enough to faint. Zhao Chengxu was the only legitimate son of the second branch. Now that his leg was broken, how could he ever become an official in the future? Madam Qian went to see her son, not knowing what the future held, then ran to Princess Consort Rong crying. "It must be the Du family! They suspect the Rong Prince Mansion of injuring Du Shinan, so they did this to my Xu-ge!" They all knew that Du Shinan's matter was connected to the Rong Prince Mansion. Princess Consort Rong had also been angry about this matter these past few days, but she didn't think it was related to the Du family. "Du Shinan is lying in bed unable to get up. Who else in the Du family could have done this? Use your head. I've always said not to indulge Xu-ge too much, but you two never listened. First he falls into a manure pit at the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, and now he breaks his leg after drinking too much. Listen to all these things he's done—do any of them look like something a member of the imperial clan should be doing?" "But Mother, Xu-ge is... he's still young, he doesn't know any better." Madam Qian continued to defend her son. "He's only around ten years old. Once he's older, he'll gradually understand." Seeing that Madam Qian was still stubbornly refusing to see reason, Princess Consort Rong waved her hand to dismiss her. "Young? Some people his age have already passed the xiucai examination. In a few more years, he could be betrothed. How is that young?" Princess Consort Rong was also angry—how dare someone lay a hand on her grandson! They must be tired of living! Madam Qian couldn't stop her tears. She knew that her mother-in-law valued the two young masters of the main branch more, and that the second branch didn't matter. She wiped her tears with resentment and said in a low voice, "If it were the main branch's child who was hurt today, would Mother still say the same?" "Outrageous! How dare you speak to me like that?" Princess Consort Rong slammed the table. Lady Wu, who had been silent all along, spoke up faintly, "Second sister-in-law, if I were you, I wouldn't be here complaining about heaven's injustice. Instead, I'd think about who Xu-ge has had conflicts with in the past, and investigate one by one. You'll always find some clue. Instead of thinking about how to find the culprit, you're here crying and wailing. Does crying help?" Lady Wu looked over with a faint, ambiguous smile. "If crying and making a fuss actually worked, you would be the Hereditary Princess Consort by now, and Second Master would be the Hereditary Prince, wouldn't he?" "Elder sister-in-law, what nonsense are you talking? When did I ever want to be the Hereditary Princess Consort?" Madam Qian looked at her mother-in-law in a panic. "Mother, don't listen to elder sister-in-law's nonsense. You know exactly what kind of person I am!" Princess Consort Rong truly didn't want to see Madam Qian anymore. "Xu-ge is also my grandson. I will certainly get to the bottom of this. Just don't cause me any more trouble. Also, once Xu-ge recovers, he'll move here to be raised by me, so he won't be spoiled rotten by you." "Ah?" Madam Qian's original intention was to come and pour out her grievances, hoping that the Princess Consort might take pity on her and her son and bestow some rewards. "It's settled then. If you don't go back now, you'll kneel in the ancestral hall!" Princess Consort Rong signaled to the elderly maidservants, and two of them came to stand on either side of Madam Qian. Only then did Madam Qian realize she had misspoken. She hurriedly knelt down to plead for mercy, but Princess Consort Rong was no longer listening. After Madam Qian was led away, Princess Consort Rong turned to look at Lady Wu. "What do you think?" Regarding Lady Wu, Princess Consort Rong had initially been quite satisfied with her family background and capabilities. It was only later, when Lady Wu clashed with her daughter, that she realized a daughter-in-law was, after all, a daughter-in-law—separated by a layer of skin, never truly filial. That said, over the years, Lady Wu had handled matters steadily and had never given Princess Consort Rong any cause for fault-finding. "This matter must be retaliation. But Xu ger has bullied others by relying on his status quite often in the past. If we go after them one by one, we risk offending even more people," Lady Wu said. "From the perspective of the Rong Prince Mansion, there are other male heirs in the mansion besides Xu ger. If one turns out worthless, we can simply cultivate another. But from the perspective of a grandmother who dotes on her grandson, when a child of the family is bullied, we must seek some form of redress. It all depends on which angle Mother-in-law chooses to consider." The Rong Prince Mansion truly could not afford to draw too much attention recently. Princess Consort Rong wanted to find the culprit who had harmed her grandson, but the night had been too dark—the coachman hadn't even caught a glimpse of anyone. How could they possibly find the perpetrator? Moreover, she was well aware of Xu ger's character and wasn't sure whether he could ever be corrected. "He's not your child, so you naturally won't take it to heart." The words were on the tip of her tongue, but Princess Consort Rong still let out a complaint. "Enough. I can't count on you for matters concerning the second branch. However, what you said to Madam Qian earlier was somewhat excessive. A family can only prosper together when they are harmonious. I know you have some conflicts with the second branch, but if you keep clinging to past grievances, how will you ever serve as the mistress of the mansion in the future?" "Mother-in-law's admonishment is well taken. This daughter-in-law will remember it." Lady Wu had grown accustomed to dealing with her in-laws over the years—she said one thing aloud while thinking quite another. What Lady Wu was actually thinking was: could this matter have something to do with Lady Cui? She could think it all she liked, but she certainly wouldn't go ask Cui Lingrong about it. A few days later, Lady Wu's natal family came to seek her out, asking her to make a trip on their behalf—the Wu family wished to form a marriage alliance with the Duke of Dingguo's household.